Missile defense glitches explained

The system "would work" if nothing went wrong


Graphic credit: Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space

Missile defense is of course a joke -- a costly joke on taxpayers, and a very dangerous joke on the people of the US and the world. Physicist Bob Park runs a great little once-a-week science news service -- called What's New -- that has been covering this comedy/horror show for a long time.

Today he posts again on missile defense, this time following Wednesday's comments by Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering III, director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, reported yesterday in the Washington Post.

Obering explained that just a little tweak of a "very minor" computer software glitch is all that is needed to prevent a repeat of the catastrophic failure suffered in a December 15 test:

Obering expressed confidence that the system "would work" if pressed into service against relatively simple enemy targets, meaning warheads without complex decoys or other measures for deceiving U.S. interceptors....He added that his agency had met its responsibility to field most of the system's initial components last year. Those components, which include tracking radars, communication links and control networks along with the interceptors, have been run through "shakedown" exercises in recent weeks and have been shown ready to go on alert if necessary.

Let's hope that no potential enemy with nuclear arms begins to firmly believe this provocative Pentagon nightmare ever actually could work. Working US defensive missiles would crack the perception that America would never launch a first strike with our now-superior offensive systems because of the retaliation that is now possible. Adoption by an enemy of our own Bush Doctrine -- threats must be neutralized before they fully emerge -- may one day boomerang on us.